


If I Had Only Left You In That Pit

by JustFicThings



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-03
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-12 17:33:29
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,228
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4488477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JustFicThings/pseuds/JustFicThings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Takes place before the Scooby Gang fled Silas; instead of leaving with Laura, LaF and Perry, Danny and Carmilla embark on a journey to redeem Valkyrie!Danny after she disobeyed direct orders by rescuing Carmilla from the pit.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Should Have Left You

Carmilla could smell Danny in her dorm room as soon as she stepped foot in the hallway. So she was already tense when she opened the door and found the redhead gravely embracing Laura, although the younger girl looked more annoyed than forlorn.

“Danny, you’re being ridiculous. We’re leaving campus too!” Laura said, gesturing wildly at Carmilla, who narrowed her eyes. “Why don’t you just come with us? It’s not safe for you to travel alone, and why would you want to anyways?”

“Oh gee, leave campus with you and your new vamp girlfriend?” Danny shook her head as Laura began to protest. “Sounds like a great time. But whatever, that doesn’t matter right now. I have some things that I need to take care of.” She said grimly. “I just came to say goodbye and to give you these.” She took four sleek black feathers hanging loosely on leather bands from her belt loop.

“Watch what you’re putting on.” Carmilla warned, materializing between Laura and Danny. Those feathers looked eerily familar to her, and she suddenly felt on edge; though standing this close to the redhead, Carmilla was annoyed that she felt her concern shift to Danny. The giant was usually six feet two inches of robustly coursing blood, but something about her internal rhythm was off.

“Please, it’s no different from that bat wing you kept tacking onto her earlier this semester. They’ll ward off- Well they might be handy if you find yourself in trouble on the battlefield. Anyway, you don’t have to wear them. Just keep them on you when you’re traveling. There’s one for you, LaF, Perry, and Edward Sparklepants here. I have to leave tonight, and I just wanted to say goodbye.” Danny stooped down and stepped around Carmilla - who was too distracted by her unfamiliar pulsing to stop her - and pressed a kiss to Laura’s forehead before stepping out of their dorm room.

Carmilla, who had been deliberately avoiding eye contact with anyone, could feel Laura’s burning gaze on her as soon as the door swung shut.

“Carmilla.” She said pleadingly. The vampire cringed before looking up at Laura’s best puppydog face. “Carm? Come on. We can’t just let her go out on her own! She doesn’t even have the Summer Society backing her up on whatever mission she’s on!”

“Cupcake, exactly what do you want me to do about that?” Carmilla asked flatly, knowing precisely what she would say. Immediately, Laura pointed out the door.

“Try to get her to come with us?”

“Let me get this straight. You want me to go after your ex-whatever and convince her to flee Silas with our merry band of thieves?”

“She’s not my ex,” Laura said stubbornly. “Seriously, if we’re running for our lives, we need to stuck together!” Laura protested. Carmilla rolled her eyes, but began to stride after Danny.

“Fine. I’ll be tracking down the Summer Sister if anyone needs me.” She said bitterly.

The feelings of irritation and insecurity began to flood Carmilla as she stalked over to the Summer Society Lodge to wrangle Danny into coming with them. The redhead was furiously filling a camping pack with the essentials when she heard the tapping on her wall. She whirled around to find Carmilla perched in her window.

“Come here to gloat, Dracula?” Danny’s annoyance dripped into her speech, and Carmilla’s scowl deepened.

“Shut it. I came to drag you back to the Scooby Gang.”

“Laura sent you?” Danny asked cautiously. Carmilla gave her a funny look.

“No, I decided that I like competition and want to jeopardize my fragil time in Laura’s favor. Of course she sent me, lack-wit.” Carmilla didn’t know what momentary weakness came over her to make her admit her uncertainties about her relationship with Laura. If the redhead agreed to come now, it would make their time together that much more unbearable. Danny didn’t soften at Carmilla’s admission, and continued to pack feverishly. “Look, Laura really cares about you and I don’t think she’ll let you leave on your own.” Carmilla tried sincerity, but winced at the way it sounded funny coming out of her mouth.

“Well that’s great, but who’s going to stop me? You said yourself, I’m just an unnecessary complication for you.” Danny snapped angrily. Carmila’s frustration was climbing and she hopped down from her ledge into Danny’s room.

“Why are you being so ungrateful?” Carmilla shouted, goading the redhead.

“Excuse me?  _I’M_  ungrateful?” Danny yelled back, her entire body trembling and her eyes stinging with angry tears. “I should have left your dead body in that godforsaken pit!” She grabbed her pack and headed for the stairs, only to have her path blocked by the vampire.

“Well, why didn’t you?” Carmilla demanded furiously.

“I don’t know!” Danny exploded.

Suddenly, and Carmilla wished that she had a more elegant way to describe it, with the sound of one hundred umbrellas opening simultaneously, enormous feathered wings burst from Danny’s back and unfurled so completely that in that moment, Carmilla was terrified that she would be completely engulfed in the darkness.


	2. Who Are You?

“You-” Carmilla couldn’t remember the last time she had been speechless, but if you asked her about it, she certainly wouldn’t have said that it was at the hands of Danny Lawrence. Now here she stood slack jawed, trying to regain her composure as countless black feathers rained down over her. She felt a shock as she realized that this is why she felt those pendants were familiar. Suddenly, Carmilla found the memory of Danny, in her highest form, carrying her from Lophiiformes, dark wings shielding her from the blinding light.

“What,” Danny smirked darkly, though her eyes were still brimming with tears; glad to have at least this effect on Carmilla left. “Never seen a mythological creature before?”

“Who are you?” Carmilla asked with narrowed eyes, trying to detect a familiar scent.

“That’s a bit of a boring question coming from you isn’t it?” Danny replied, cringing as her wings began to recede back into her body. Seeing Carmilla’s glare, she sighed. “I am Danny Lawrence: Valkyrie of the Norse God Odin. It is my duty to choose who lives and who dies in battle. It is my duty to shepherd great fallen warriors to the paradise Valhalla.” At this explanation, it took every fiber of Carmilla’s will to resist curtsying sarcastically.

“Oh.” She said simply, wheels spinning in her head. “Wait, how can you still be a Valkyrie if we’ve all seen you in your human form? Shouldn’t you present yourself as a white swan or some crap?” Danny looked surprised at this and Carmilla retorted, “Hey, I’m a centuries old college student with an interest in ancient texts. Of course I’ve read some basic mythology.”

“Of all the myths about us, that’s the one you remember best?” The redhead shrugged on her backpack now that nothing was protruding from her back. “How come I’ve seen you out in the sunlight, Drusilla? Will you leave me alone now?”

“Where are you going?” Carmilla asked curiously, remember that she had come to retrieve the ginger for Laura.

“None of your business.” Danny said bluntly, exiting the room.”

“Why are you going?” Carmilla called from behind her as she followed closely.

“I have some things to take care of.”

“Why are you being so obtuse?” Carmilla snarked.

“Why are YOU being so intrusive?” Danny snapped back at her.

“I’m curious.”

“Didn’t curiosity kill the cat?” Danny opened the door from the Summer Society Lodge and stepped into the field at the edge of Silas.

“I’m already dead, aren’t I? It’s not like it could kill me more.” The Valkyrie grimaced at this, and Carmilla could hear her heart skip a beat. “What? IS something going to kill me more?” She was growing increasingly concerned about the nature of Danny’s little trip, although she attributed this concern primarily to her impressive self-preservation instincts.

“No.” Danny replied shortly, though Carmilla could sense that she wasn’t being completely forthcoming.

“BUT?” Carmilla pressed her.

“Alright fine. Maybe you were marked for death or whatever.” The Valkyrie admitted, still taking long strides through the field as Carmilla kept up with ease.

“Elaborate, giant.” Carmilla growled dangerously.

“Someone made a request of Odin that you die along with your mother during the battle in the pit.”

“Well I’m still here.” Carmilla stated uneasily.

“I know.” Danny sighed. I should have left you in the pit.” She said unconvincingly. Carmilla could hardly process the new information she had just been given. “So now I’m going back to Valhalla to beg for Odin’s forgiveness, and to hope that he’s feeling generous because he’s still short one fallen warrior.” She nodded at the vampire and gritted her teeth. Danny began to pick up the pace, hopelessly attempting to lose the vampire on the way.

“No, you’re not.”

“Carmilla, I’m not coming with you guys to wherever you’re running to. You really think any of you will be safe if I try to hide from Odin with a bunch of fugitive undergraduates?”

“I know. And they’re not the brightest bunch.” Carmilla exhaled in frustration. “But you are not going to Valhalla. At least not before we figure out who put a hit out on me.” At this, Danny laughed.

“That is a really crass, but I guess pretty accurate description of how it happened. But no, as much as I appreciate the offer, I made a misstep. And now I need to face judgement for my actions.”

“It wasn’t an offer, Amazon. If someone has it out for me, I need to know, and maybe you can use that information to your advantage when you go running back to daddy, begging for forgiveness. And you know what? Don’t try to tell me that the Scoobies need me to protect them. All of the danger that Laura has ever been in has been because of me. She’s going to be much worse off if I go with her and someone is hunting me down.” Carmilla had a steely look in her eyes and Danny knew it would be useless to argue with her.

“I guess we need to tell Laura and the others then.” She relented.

“Way ahead of you Lawrence.” Carmilla put her hand on Danny’s arm and the two of them vanished in a cloud of black smoke.


	3. Decades’ Worth of Bear Spray

Danny and Carmilla materialized outside of Perry’s dorm room, the former almost hacking up her lungs from the black smoke that slowly disappeared from the air.

“That was the most unpleasant form of transportation that I have ever had the misfortune of taking.” Danny said bitterly, taste of black haze still lingering in her mouth.

“We’re here already, aren’t we?” Carmilla responded grumpily, muttering, “I’d like to see you fly us here faster,” under her breath.

“Excuse me?” Danny hissed, but the dorm room door opened before Carmilla could spit out a retort, and the pair was pulled inside by a frantic Perry who slammed the door and fastened about seven locks behind them. The place was decorated exactly as anyone who had met Perry would expect. But still, Danny felt herself internally gagging at the paisley wallpaper and floral armchairs that sat around a small fireplace.

“Thank god you decided to come!” Laura immediately accosted Danny, throwing her small body at her in a hug, and the Valkyrie winced, knowing that this would not go smoothly.

“Well… Not exactly.” She started awkwardly.

“We’re not coming.” Carmilla ripped off the band aid bluntly.

“What?” Danny felt Laura extricate herself from their embrace and found her looking expectantly at them.

“Laura, remember how I said that I had a few things to take care of?” Danny started to explain gently. “Well, it turns out that I’m probably going to need Count Chocula’s help. Don’t worry about us, just focus on getting to safety.”

“I don’t need you to worry about my safety Danny Lawrence!”  _Not this again,_  Carmilla winced against her own will, seeing Danny shrink back a little at the memory of their almost-break-up. “I just mean that I’ll be fine! I have decades’ worth of bear spray and krav maga training! But you can’t just go traipsing around on your own! Both of you!” She turned so that she was facing Carmilla as well.

After a few more minutes of arguing and stepping around the issue of Danny’s little predicament, Laura was standing in the doorway, feather dangling from one wrist and batwing from the other, trying to wave goodbye as LaF went at her new accessories with a magnifying glass and some cotton swabs.

“Do you think their tests will reveal anything about those protective charms?” Danny asked Carmilla nervously as they began their trek.

“I highly doubt it. The Silas University science equipment has all been… modified, so as to avoid any scandals resulting from certain surprises.”

“Oh.” Danny sighed. “Okay.” She should have been relieved, but the warrior knew that an overzealous biology major would be the least of their problems. “So where are we headed first?”

“To see my sister.” Carmilla grimaced forbodingly.


	4. Vampire and Valkyrie on Holiday

The unlikely traveling companions arrived at a small village six hours after leaving Silas.

“Your sister lives here?” Danny asked, surprised that a Karnstein would live so far from… well for lack of better words, disposable prey.

“Mattie?” Carmilla scoffed. “You won’t catch her five minutes out of a major cosmopolitan city. She likes to go ‘paint the town red’, and you can’t very well do that if you’re not in a town.”

“Then what the hell are we doing here?” Danny could feel her frustration rising. “I’d like to remind you that we’re kind of strapped for time if you’ve forgotten in the past few hours.”

“Relax Lawrence. We’re here to save some time in the long run. I know a guy who can get you a horse so that we’re not moving at such a glacial pace.” Although Danny did travel quickly, it was true that for Carmilla it felt like they were dragging their feet.

“Just one horse? What are you going to do?” Carmilla smirked at this.

“Worried about me? Cute. Don’t let it bother you, I’ll keep up.”

The pair finally arrived upon a dozen horses grazing at pasture. The beauty of the Austrian countryside floored Danny. She could hardly remember the last time a Summer Society hunt had taken them so far from Silas, and it seemed likely that she would never be able to go back home to the lodge with them. They had all fulfilled their duties at the battle of the pit, retrieved the fallen warriors belonging to Odin to join them in paradise. She hadn’t.

“Admiring the view?” Carmilla asked, seeing Danny’s spacey expression.

“It reminds me of Valhalla.” She replied quietly. Carmilla couldn’t figure out how to respond without offending the Valkyrie, but was saved the trouble when she spotted a stooped figure among the horses.

“This way.” She beckoned Danny and they headed in the direction of the silhouette. “Danny, this is Jonathan.” Carmilla waved at the old man, and he smiled in return. “Jonathan, this is Danny. She needs a horse.” Jonathan nodded and gestured for them to follow him toward an ebony mare. Carmilla snorted.

“What?” Danny asked defensively.

“Jonathan matches the horse to the soul.”

“What does that mean? My soul is black?” Danny asked dryly. It was not the first time that the thought had crossed her mind.

“Don’t be so dull. It’s not literal. I was just thinking that you will be getting the most conspicuous horse you possible could in Black Beauty here.” Carmilla reached a hand out, but the mare chomped at the proffered fingers and Danny laughed out loud for the first time in much too long.

“You know what? I think I like her.” She said, cautiously extending her own hand and relaxing in relief when the horse allowed her to feel her coat.

“Whatever Xena. Jonathan’s already saddled her up, so hop on and we can get this show on the road. Vampire and Valkyrie on holiday, take two.” She joked as Danny mounted the horse.

“Carmilla!” Danny exclaimed, looking at Jonathan who was very much unfazed by this revelation.

“Relax Lawrence. Jon won’t be telling anyone anything. Mother took care of that.” Carmilla said grimly, avoiding eye contact. Jonathan put a hand on the vampire’s shoulder and smiled widely. It was at this moment that Danny realized that he was missing his tongue. Carmilla thanked Jonathan, left him with some sort of currency that the Valkyrie didn’t recognize, and the two took off.

As Danny picked up the pace, she looked beside her to see how Carmilla was managing, and nearly fell off her horse at the sight of a giant black panther running alongside her.  _And Argo is conspicuous_ , Danny thought wryly.


	5. I’m Sorry… Danny

Night had fallen and the trio took cover in a forested area. Danny tethered Argo to a tree and curled up on the ground a few feet from Carmilla, still contentedly in panther form. She debated asking her question for some time, and decided that if she were going to be traveling with the vampire for the foreseeable future, it would be best to be open.

Still staring up at the treetops and the scattered stars visible through the foliage, Danny wondered aloud, “How do you know Jonathan?” She thought that phrasing it like this would be the least inflammatory way to ask, but she still prepared herself for a fight as she sensed Carmilla shed her cat form to join Danny in lying on her back, staring upwards at the fluttering leaves. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

“I’ve only told this story once before. When Will was first turned, it was my job to make sure he knew to take mother seriously.” Carmilla hesitated. “Relative to everything else, it’s definitely not the worst thing she’s done, but maybe the most pointless. It was roughly two hundred years ago.”

“Two hundred years?” Danny wondered. She stared at the vampire as if only just now realizing that she had already lived countless lives.

“Hey, do you want to hear the story or not?” Carmilla snapped.

“Sorry, sorry, go.”

“I was… scouting for Mother when I met Jonathan. He was the kind and unassuming manager of a little hostel I was staying in, and he happened to have a daughter. I was trying to woo her when Mother arrived. See, i was still relatively young and wasn’t making quite enough progress for her taste. She kidnapped the girl and ripped out Jonathan’s tongue so that he couldn’t tell anyone what he saw, although no one would have believed him anyways. Then, as he was bleeding, she turned him.” Carmilla said with disgust. Danny waited silently for her to continue; she had never seen the vampire express this much emotion at one time and didn’t want to spook her. Well, never save for the moment when she was reunited with Laura. The memory stung, though for what reason Danny wasn’t sure anymore. “She left him to face the transformation on his own, so I snuck back to make sure he didn’t massacre the entire village, small as it was. He forgave me all too easily.” Carmilla confessed guiltily. “It didn’t matter to him that I was a monster, that now he was too. He started to treat me like the daughter he lost, even though I was the reason she was gone.”

“You’re not the only one.” Danny said. Carmilla looked at her curiously. “Monster, I mean. Modern depictions of my kind are far too generous.” She admitted. “People love the heroic Valkyrie narrative much more than the dark history we’ve conveniently allowed the world to forget. We are shown as glorious, honorable creatures bringing the greatest warriors to their paradise in death. But that’s only half of the job description; we used to be known as demons of the slain. We determine who lives and who dies in battle, favoring our human champions, and organizing death for those we choose.” The redhead winced as she recounted this. “You had no choice but to do what your mother wanted. The number of girls you have sacrificed pales in comparison to the unknowable hoards that I sent to their deaths in battle. Fulfilling our duties was easier when it was soldiers who for the most part chose to march onto the fields. It was not quite the same with the battle of the pit. We were looking at handfuls of undergraduates. Children.” Carmilla nodded slowly, and she sat up, hugging her legs to her chest.

“How do you decide? Who do you pick?”

“Old grudges, familial ties, that sort of thing. You would be surprised about the lineage of some of the kids at Silas today.” There was a silence before Danny acknowledged the more obvious criterion. “But sometimes… Sometimes Odin gives us orders. We don’t know who in his favor has made the request, or why.”

“You’ve heard stories though.” Carmilla stated. It wasn’t a question; she could read it in the Valkyrie’s pained face. Nodding, Danny continued.

“Did you ever read about the Valkyrie Brünnhilde? I guess she’s also known under various different names, but there is general consensus about how the story goes. Odin had a mortal son, Siegmund, who he asked Brünnhilde to protect. Frigga, Odin’s wife, asked him to sentence Siegmund to death for some crime or another, but Brünnhilde ignored this new request, saving him from his fate.”

“What happened to her?”

“She thought that she would be killed, that Odin would exile her from Valhalla forever. Instead, he cursed her to be trapped in a dreamless sleep until any mortal man came to claim her.”

“That’s so much worse.” Carmilla interjected, horrified at the prospect. “Well, if that happens to you, I’ll be sure to lug the dude-bro out to your body.” She joked weakly.

“You would do no such thing.” Danny snapped. “Anyways, Brünnhilde managed to argue her way out of that one. But all she could convince Odin to do was protect her slumber with a ring of fire and up the criteria from ‘any mortal man’ to ‘fearless hero’, so you know, only slightly better.” Danny sighed loudly. She was getting increasingly frustrated with herself. “I hate this.”

“Gingersnap, I’m not so fond of this trip myself.” Carmilla said indifferently. “I’ll be glad when we can all go home.”

“That’s not it.” Danny sighed again. “I hate that  _you_  are the only one that I can ask for this favor. That there’s no one else I’m certain would do this for me.”

“What are you sputtering on about Red?” She asked suspiciously. There was a pause before Danny could muster up the conviction, and Carmilla could hear her heart pounding loudly in her chest. The irregular rhythm was back, and she felt her own defense systems on alert.

“If something like that happens to me, I need you to promise me that you won’t let it get too far.” Carmilla narrowed her eyes.

“And how exactly do you want me to do that?”

“I want you to kill me.” Danny requested earnestly, staring straight into Carmilla’s eyes and refusing to let her break their gaze. The vampire was absorbed by the Valkyrie’s grave blue eyes and found herself nodding reluctantly.

“What would you want me to say to laura?” She asked, knowing that she would want the giant to do the same for her.

“Nothing. She’ll be better off away from all of this supernatural crap.” Danny winced. “Sorry, I didn’t mean-”

“We both know that you’re right.”Carmilla answered, lying down. “But we also both know that if it exists, Laura will be spearheading the charge to track it down.”

“Why do you think that is? That someone who is so…” Danny struggled for the right word. “Good. That someone so good could be at all pulled towards the misery and devastation that relentlessly trail behind us, wherever we go?”

“I’ve wondered about that too.” Carmilla murmured. “I wonder if she would be happy if she never even knew that creatures like us existed. But as much as I’d like to keep hashing all of this out, we should get some sleep. It’s going to be quite a ways to Mattie’s tomorrow.” She turned so that their backs were to each other and waited until the redhead’s breathing slowed. Looking over her shoulder, Carmilla checked to see if she was truly asleep. “Xena?” She whispered harshly, but the Valkyrie didn’t stir. Sighing, the vampire released an apology. “I’m sorry… Danny.”

 


	6. Odin Has a Soft Spot for Wolves

“We’re here.” Carmilla announced. Danny slowed Argo to a halt and looked out at the city. A grey cloud hovered over towering buildings, casting an ominous sense over the cityscape.

“So where do we go to find your sister?” Carmilla laughed.

“You don’t find Mattie. She finds you.” The vampire began to walk into the city. “Come on Red. Oh, and leave the horse.”

The duo checked into a hotel that was definitely way beyond Danny’s budget, but Carmilla waved her protests away, citing the fact that her sister owned the place. They walked up to their room and the vampire hit the ‘Do Not Disturb’ switch.

“So now we wait?” Danny asked. But a knock at the door answered her question. She watched anxiously as Carmilla cautiously opened the door, only to be stunned when the vampire burst into laughter and embraced the woman standing there.

“Carmilla! You can’t possibly know how surprised and pleased I am to see you here! And you’ve brought a little friend.” Danny narrowed her eyes at the woman’s condescending tone. She stood, towering over both other women.

“How charming. Carmilla 2.0″ She muttered.

“I think it would be more accurate to say that my little sister is Matska 2.0″ She sauntered over to shake Danny’s hand. “But you can call me Mattie.” She said with a lascivious wink.

“Well Mattie, why don’t you tell us  _exactly_  why you’re so surprised to see Carmilla, hmm? Maybe you know a little something about what happened at Silas last week?”

“Good heavens! Are you insinuating that I had something to do with our dear mother’s death? I got out of her affairs centuries ago. No, I was so glad to hear that my little sister was here in the city. Finally ready to join me Mircalla? We could be unstoppable.”

“This isn’t about that, Mattie. Someone put a hit out on me before that whole pit disaster. I’m supposed to be dead too.”

“Well it can’t possibly have been that serious! I mean you’re standing right here aren’t you?” Mattie twirled Carmilla around, checking her over.

“Mattie, I died. I jumped into the light and thought that I had been consumed. But she brought me back.”

“Yeah. I was suffering from particularly poor judgment that day.” Danny deadpanned.

“Brought you back? Brought you back from where?”

“Valhalla.” Danny and Carmilla replied in unison before looking at each other, flustered. Things didn’t seem like they had changed much after their conversation the night before, but the pair had also travelled in silence until reaching the city.

“Valhalla.” Mattie tasted the word thoughtfully. “Like the old Norse gods?” The girls nodded. “Well, it looks like the wolves have been getting up to some more devious business than I had been giving them credit for.”

“Wolves?” Carmilla asked.

“Yes, I’m surprised you didn’t encounter any on your way here. The forest is teeming with them. They’ve been assembling recently. I believe that they’re planning to take us out once and for all.” Something dawned on Danny.

“Odin has a soft spot for wolves… He travels with the creature by one side, and a raven by the other.”

“Well I guess we’ve got that all figured out.”

“Yes… My sister has always been more of a cat person. Wouldn’t you say Carmilla?” Mattie grinned, and Danny perked up at the thought.

“Sorry, say that again?”

“Carm is a giant black cat.”

“Yes I know… And I’ve got an idea.”

“Mind cluing me in on this Xena?”

“I will, on the way.” Danny began to pack up the things she’d taken out.

“Whoa, calm yourself Red. It’s going to be dark soon.”

“What, scared of a few monsters?”

“Yes. When they’ve gone to the gods to have me killed? Very much so. We’ll leave in the morning; besides, I’ve already paid for the hotel room.” She turned to her sister. “Mattie, it was so good to see you, but the giantess and I need to have a little discussion.” The sisters kissed each other on the cheeks.

“Alright, I’ll see you soon though, little sister.” The older vampire waved goodbye, and when Carmilla’s back was turned, gestured for Danny to come closer.

“Let me tell you a little secret, okay Valkyrie?” Danny looked surprised. “Oh please, I’ve been around the block once or twice. And in my wise old age, I’ve learned a few things. If I were you, I wouldn’t try to get too close to my sister. It all ends well for the cat, but not so well for the canary.”

“Thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.” Danny growled, shutting the door behind her. “Well, I didn’t think it was possible, but look! I’ve found someone more irritating than you!”

“Awww, and here I thought you two would get along so well! What a shame.” Carmilla pouted at Danny. “So what’s your brilliant plan?”

“I’ve realized that it doesn’t concern you. Tomorrow we’ll meet up with Laura and the others, where you will stay, and I’ll travel to Valhalla on my own.”

“Why, not enjoying my company? Don’t be stupid.”

“Oh yes, how could I not appreciate your uplifting attitude.” Carmilla continued to glare daggers at her. “I’m being practical.” Danny replied adamantly. “You want to willingly enter the afterlife that I’m going to beg forgiveness for dragging you out of? That’s not very smart is it? What happened to those impeccable self preservation instincts?”

“You shouldn’t go without backup. And you made me make that unfortunate promise.” This was the first they had discussed the topic since it had originally come up. Danny was uncomfortable at the mention of her late night request and avoided eye contact. “Besides, clearing things up with Papa Lawrence might be one of the only ways to figure out how I can stay out of trouble.”

“Well no one can come with me anyways. My sisters are the only others who can come and go from Valhalla as they please. No one else is leaving the hall alive.”

“Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m not.” Carmilla replied steely eyed. “Listen. I will be miserable for the rest of my already bleak existence if you get yourself killed and I owe you a life for eternity with no way to get out from under that debt. It seems that the tiny reporter has in fact had some impact on me.” The vampire grimaced.

“We can talk about it once we find the group.”

“And how are we supposed to do that? They could be halfway across the mountains by now.”

“Why do you continue to underestimate me Karnstein? We can track them down by the feathers they’re wearing.”

“Fine. We’ll check in on the lack wits and then make this godforsaken trip to Valhalla.”

When morning came, the two were still at odds over their plans. They bickered all the way back to where Argo had been tethered overnight.

“Maybe that wolf thing is just paranoia. There’s no way Blackjack here fought off droves of wolves on her own, and she’s perfectly fine.” Carmilla speculated.

“Do you want to take that risk? Come on, get up.” Danny ordered from Argo’s back. They pinpointed the location of those three feathers and Danny gripped onto Carmilla, whose bare skin bristled at the touch, bracing herself for the unpleasant sensation that came with vanishing in a cloud of dark smoke.


	7. Hey Guys, What’s With the Horse?

When the three of them rematerialized, Danny and Carmilla were immobilized by a horrible cacophony of every alarming noise they could possibly imagine.

“I’m feeling generous today, so I’ll give you a minute to tell me exactly who you are, and how you got here.” A stern voice rumbled after the mayhem had ended. Before either Carmilla or Danny could respond, they heard another voice that was much more familiar.

“Wait! Dad, hold on!” Immense relief washed over them as Laura ran out of a little cabin they hadn’t noticed due to the noise.

“Laura, go back inside and let me handle this.”

“Dad, I know them! They helped to save the campus!” Mr. Hollis glared at them carefully and Laura noticed how close together their bodies were. Danny’s arms were still locked around Carmilla from the ride, and when she noticed Laura’s gaze, she let go instantly, coughing self-consciously.

“Fine. Make sure they wipe their shoes on the mat before they come in.” Danny and Carmilla exhaled in relief at the sight of Mr. Hollis’s retreating figure. As soon as they dismounted, they were accosted by Laura with much-needed hugs, and a less-needed interrogation.

“I’ve missed you! Where have you two been? What have you been doing? Are you both okay? How long have you been traveling? Are you tired? What happened? And did I already tell you I missed you?”

“Laura, it’s only been two days.” But Carmilla grinned nonetheless. She had missed the tiny cupcake too.

“Come on. Let’s get you both inside and um… I’ll figure out what to do with your horse. Hey guys, what’s with the horse?” Danny sighed.

“Long story. Carmilla can explain later, but I just came to make sure she got here alright. I still have that other thing to take care of.”

“Danielle Lawrence, if you think you’re going to disappear without even a sufficient explanation  _again_ , you’re sorely mistaken.” The Valkyrie frowned. Laura pseudo-dumping her with that speech seemed to have given her the impression that speaking to Danny like this was normal.

“Hey cupcake,” Carmilla took this one. “Let’s talk.” She nodded at Danny and the Valkyrie nodded gratefully in return. Laura and Carmilla watched silently as she prepared to get on her horse, but before any of them could move, Mr. Hollis interrupted by yelling from the house.

“Breakfast is on in ten minutes! There better not be any last minute requests!”

“Laura-”

“Don’t start. You set off all of my dad’s traps. It’s the least you could do.” Danny sighed and set off towards the cabin, looking over her shoulder at Carmilla and Laura.

“Go on Red. I need to have a chat with Laura.” The redhead left suspiciously after watching Carmilla ask Laura to sit down.

“Look, Danny needs to go. It’s not safe with her here.” She shook her head at Laura’s protests. “And it’s not safe with me here either. After breakfast, the two of us are leaving.” Laura made a frustrated noise and threw her hands up.

“What is it with you two? You hate each other all semester, but now mysteriously you’re inseparable?”

“I wouldn’t say we’re quite as close as you think, buttercup.”

“Then what is going on? You’ve both done so much already! Why can’t you just stop and realize that for a minute. You already saved the campus, and all of us along with it!”

“I didn’t save us all. What happened at Silas was only because of Mother’s plans, and not all of us came out unscathed.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just listen. Something is coming for me and I already owe Danny a life for pulling me out of the rubble. Saving her hide is one of the only things that might help me out and she’s never going to cash in that favor on her own. This is all you Laura. A year ago… A month ago…” Carmilla laughed darkly at the realization. “I never would have batted an eye. If I had known what was coming for me, I would have fled the continent with you in tow and let Danny suffer for saving me.”

“Wait, what’s going on with Danny?” Laura reached out to give her a reassuring touch, but Carmilla gently brushed her hand away before meeting her eyes.

“I can’t be the one to tell you that Laura, but I cannot begin to say how much I owe her. You were the one who pushed me to be better. You beat me up about it, so I stopped being a coward for one moment. For you.” Carmilla sighed in frustration.

“I rushed into the fight, swinging that stupid sword all for you. But don’t you see how that’s not sustainable? I need to make decisions for me, because if I keep basing my actions around you and trying to live up to the image you have of me, we’re both going to get hurt. That’s what happens. So for my sake, you’ve got to let us go, because I can’t carry on for the rest of my existence knowing that I got both of you killed.”

“Are you finished?” Laura asked softly. Carmilla was surprised by her lack of resistance and nodded numbly. “Carm… I wish I could say that I would have done things differently, but I wouldn’t have. I asked those things of you because I knew that you  _could_  be that person. That hero.”

“Laura, I’m not the hero of this story, I just can’t accept that from you. Heroes aren’t brave or courageous because someone told them to be. They’re good because that’s who they are, who  _you_  are.” Laura forced a smile through the tears that were starting to pool in her eyes.

“So what does this mean?”

“I think you know. I can’t keep on trying to be who you want me to be.” Laura humorlessly realized the bizarre turn of events; it already seemed like ages ago when she was breaking things off with Danny in a very similar way. Carmilla was being much kinder to her now than she had been in the same situation, although the thought was little comfort now.

“Please be careful.” Laura dabbed at her eyes, took a deep breath in and the pair made their way back inside. Carmilla felt like the dread accumulating in her gut would never dissipate when she ran straight into Danny. Due to the height difference, Carmilla got a face full of immensely gaudy material and looked up at the Valkyrie’s disgruntled face.

Before she knew it, she was guffawing at the ridiculousness of the powerful warrior looming over her, muscled body and powerful frame squished tightly into a truly horrific sweater. Her laughter was only put on hold so that she could admire the pullover’s many amusing qualities. Danny was amazed to see the vampire smiling, so perhaps it was because she was so caught off guard that she allowed Carmilla to bat at the various pompoms precariously attached to her new piece of clothing.

“Perry insisted that it was too cold.” She explained, attempting to seem annoyed, but failing miserably to maintain that facade. “Be careful, or she’ll get you too.” Danny joked to Carmilla, flicking at her exposed arms.

Breakfast was a strange affair. Danny and Carmilla sat on either side of Laura while Mr. Hollis served them their food, while Perry was seated across the table, attempting (much to the chagrin of LaF) to pretend that this was a completely normal situation. The awkwardness of the meal was lost on Laura’s dad, who was caught up in a soliloquy on the costs and benefits of certain brands of bear spray.

“If you’ve got wolf spray, I might be interested.” Carmilla muttered, earning a kick under the table.

“Don’t you dare ask him about that.” Laura demanded. “Unless you’ve changed your mind about leaving, that is.”

Danny and Carmilla looked at each other grimly and shook their heads. After what Carmilla considered to be too many heart-to-hearts in the timespan of two days, she was not about to rethink everything again. They helped clear the table and hugged Laura goodbye for the umpteenth time.


	8. AirValkyrie

“So Xena, how exactly are we getting to your hall of the slain? I’m assuming that walking into Valhalla is out of the question.”

“We’re flying.” Danny replied distractedly, trying to guide Argo through the dense forest.

“Oh really? What airline?” Carmilla quipped while dodging a stray branch.

“AirValkyrie.” Danny replied, reveling at the flicker of alarm in her travel companion’s eyes. Carmilla glanced around them; she wasn’t  _really_  planning on making a run for it, but it didn’t hurt to be prepared. Even if she decided to go, there wasn’t anything for miles but trees, motionless in the dead air.

“So, what? I’m going to hang onto you like a goddamn jetpack and hope that I don’t fly off? Really sound plan genius. Do you offer in-flight movies? How about complimentary peanuts?” Carmilla was getting herself worked up, which rarely happened and Danny found herself laughing in earnest at the vampire’s indignation.

“Excuse me, I am a genius. So relax Fang Face. I have a feeling that strapping you to my chest in an adult baby Bjorn contraption won’t be necessary.”

“A feeling.” Carmilla deadpanned.

“A  _strong_  feeling. Now hold on.”

“To what?”

Danny rolled her eyes as she leaned forward to place her hands on Argo’s neck and in the process, pressed up against Carmilla’s back. The vampire felt her spine tingle and tried to shake off the feeling. Slowly, Danny began to feel her energy flowing into her horse and Carmilla decided that it would be wise to follow her advice when the mare’s eyes began to glow yellow. She grabbed onto the reigns just in time, because a second later Argo rose into the air and they were galloping above the treetops.

“I’m sorry.” Danny shouted over the roaring wind.

“For what?” Carmilla yelled back before a thick blindfold covered her eyes. “Oh good. I was wondering when this trip was going to get better.”

* * *

Carmilla decided that she hated flying. Their smooth stop didn’t change the fact that for their entire flight she could never anticipate the dips and turns. Danny dismounted and lifted the still-blindfolded Carmilla off of Argo.

“As much as I appreciate a bit of light bondage, how about you take this damn thing off me?”

“Can’t do that just yet. It would risk you knowing how to get back here, so the blindfold stays on until we receive a private audience with Odin.”

“Oh joy. You know, I’m usually a  _hit_  when it comes to meeting the parents, and I really think this S&M thing is going to up my game.”

“Keep talking and I’ll break out the gag too.” Danny muttered, hiding her anxiety behind dry humor. Carmilla remembered hearing the same sadness underneath her sarcastic tone the night they had talked in the woods.

“Listen Red.” Carmilla paused. “Danny.” She figured that she could at least call the girl by her given name once before they died. “I don’t know what your game plan is for today. But I’m going to let you in on mine.” Carmilla felt Danny take her arm, leading her somewhere she couldn’t see. “Make it out alive.”

“Thanks. I hadn’t thought of that.”

“Hey! I wouldn’t be so cheeky because it clearly wasn’t your mindset when you pulled that stunt last week!”

“Oh, you mean when I  _saved your life_?”

“Exactly. Stupid move. It doesn’t mean that I’m ungrateful, but I’m just saying that now you have me here to stop you from making more dumb decisions.”

“Forgive me if that doesn’t inspire much confidence. You do realize that Odin is a god, and that I disobeyed a direct order from him? This isn’t a matter of ‘say no to drugs’ or ‘stay in school, kids’!” Danny raised her voice and covered her face with her hands. “Sorry. I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize. Let’s just go.”

“Wait.” Carmilla felt Danny’s hand leave her arm and heard the now familiar sound of enormous dark wings emerging from their resting place and Carmilla tried to squash the thoughts considering how terrifying it would be to see the redhead clothed in her full battle armor.

Danny’s heart was pounding that same irregular rhythm, and it only intensified as they arrived at the gated entryway leading into Valhalla.

Steeling herself, the Valkyrie knocked on the doors and they swung open with a pure melodic ringing that echoed through the hall. Danny led Carmilla through the cavernous room past the throngs of great heroes residing there. She made no eye contact with them and they made no attempts to stop her.

When they reached the far end of the corridor, Danny pressed down on Carmilla’s shoulders and they both kneeled, the vampire on two knees and the Valkyrie on one.

“Father.” Danny greeted the god with her head still bowed.”

“My daughter. You both may stand.”

“I would like to request a private audience with your grace.”

“As you wish.”

* * *

Carmilla breathed a sigh of relief when Danny removed the blindfold from her eyes. As they readjusted to the light, she saw the Valkyrie come into focus, standing face to face with Odin himself. The god’s age showed through the wrinkles written into his face from the endless wars he had presided over.

“I have made a grave transgression father, and I have come to beg your forgiveness and mercy.”

“You disobeyed me directly Danielle and yet now you bring the creature you were tasked with retrieving in battle as collateral?”

“No father. I acted without thinking, this is true. But Carmilla is not yours. You cannot claim her for Valhalla.”

The room went silent and Danny looked shocked with herself for her brazenness. If Odin was affronted, he didn’t show it.

“That is not your decision to make, young one.”

“You’re right father, but it’s also not yours.” Danny managed, putting on a brave face. “It’s Lady Freyja’s.”

“Explain yourself.” The king took a seat in his throne as she began their story.

“Father, you are the master of canines. It is indisputable. We discovered the werewolves’ allegiance to you and concluded that you bad become their patron in war, beginning to collect vampire souls. We have always welcomed the presence of dogs here in Valhalla. Plenty of soldiers have been buried with their companions to be reunited in this eternal life, but we do not accept cats. The felines belong to Lady Freyja so that they may pull her chariot. Danny’s game plan suddenly dawned on Carmilla. It was slightly more specific than ‘stay alive’, which she appreciated after seeing the concerned look on Odin’s face.

“And tell me child, what does that have to do with the soul in front of us today?”

“This warrior is everything you look for on the battlefield, but Carmilla belongs to the Lady Freyja, if she chooses to take her. She is of the family Felidae, and we cannot accept her into Valhalla.”

“If you speak the truth, then you are correct and I cannot take her into the hall. I will call upon Lady Frejya so that she may lay claim to this soul. So that settles you,” He said, acknowledging Carmilla. “But now we must speak of your fate, Danielle.”

“You’re going to punish her for saving you a load of trouble with Freyja down the road? That hardly seems reasonable.” Carmilla was through with staying silent. Danny cringed and cursed herself for just crossing her fingers and hoping that the vampire would remains silent throughout the meeting.

“Father, forgive her. I understand that you must do what is necessary, but I do beg you to consider mercy. My intent was not to be insolent, but to rescue a soul that I believed to be wrongfully selected for Valhalla.

“Be that as it may, you disobeyed me Danielle. For that, you will face a restless slumber in a ring of fire until a true hero finds you and sets you free.”


	9. Epitome of Heroic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To set the mood at the montage, click here for Laura's music pick: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vA48rDXh1_4

Carmilla felt her heart plunge into her stomach when Odin raised his arms and Danny disappeared from the room. The look of despair on the Valkyrie’s face as she vanished chilled Carmilla to her bones. Before she could take a second to process, another figure materialized and at first, the vampire thought that Danny had returned because of the uncanny resemblance.

This woman had the same fiery red locks, statuesque height, and sharp jawline, but her hair flowed past her waist and she was dressed in a floor length gown.

“Odin.” Freyja greeted the god pleasantly. “How is my sister?”

“Freyr is doing well. But you didn’t come here today to discuss her now did you?”

“I think the issues are one and the same. How can she be doing well when her daughter has been sentenced to a mortal life after waking from a cursed sleep? Surely you can hear how absurd that sounds.”

“Danielle’s punishment is not your concern. But hers is.” Odin gestured to Carmilla, who felt the sudden desire to disappear in a cloud of black smoke.

“What is your name child?” It had been a long time since Carmilla had truly been younger than someone calling her that, and the thought sent a tingle down her spine.

“In this life? Carmilla Karnstein.”

“I hear that you might be someone I could value greatly in death. Are those rumors true?”

“I’d rather be valued in life if there’s a choice.” Carmilla deadpanned. The goddess continued to look expectantly at the vampire, so she steeled herself and made the transformation.

Freyja stepped forward with practiced certainty and admired the creature in front of her. The coal-black panther eyed her carefully as she placed a war-calloused hand onto dark fur.

“You really are striking.” The goddess marveled, stroking the cat until she relaxed into a purr. “Yes, I am quite taken with this one Odin. It is not her time yet, but when that day comes, she will have a high seat in Folkvanger. Come, I will bring you back to earth Carmilla Karnstein.”

“Wait.” Carmilla cursed herself for the outburst. Whatever self-preservation instinct she had was apparently taking back seat to her newfound gratitude to Danny for saving her life, twice now.

“Yes?”

“Since Danielle,” The name sounded funny on her tongue. “Danny... Since she saved me for you, I think that you should reduce her punishment.”

“What do you propose?”

“Ideally? Just let her go!”

“I’m afraid I can’t let that happen.” Odin rejoined the conversation. “There are consequences for actions Miss Karnstein. Danielle needs to know that.”

“Fine, then keep your stupid ring of fire and your restless slumber, but don’t strip her of her immortality. Eternity is a steep price to pay just to learn a lesson.” Odin considered Carmilla’s plea and nodded slowly.

“Okay. I will accept this suggestion.” The vampire swallowed her sudden burst of pride and nodded curtly at the god before she accompanied Freyja back to earth.

* * *

 

Freyja’s cat-drawn carriage dropped Carmilla off in Mattie’s city and the goddess kissed her on the cheek.

“I am looking forward to our next meeting Carmilla Karnstein.” With that, all signs of Freyja and her chariot disappeared from this realm.

“Yeah, well I’m not.” The vampire muttered after she had left. Carmilla started to walk around to city to wait for Mattie to find her, but she didn’t have to go far before she was snatched up by one of her sister’s minions and whisked into an expensive looking loft.

“Whose place is this?” Carmilla asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Ah, just a concerned citizen who was kind enough to let me stay here for the time being.” Mattie waved it off and Carmilla knew there was probably a body in the bathtub. “But forget that, what happened to you little sister?”

“It really doesn’t matter right now. How’s your effort to quash the werewolf uprising?”

“Not  _quite_  as well as I would like, but I’m making progress. Turns out amassing an army against our most hated enemy is easier than you would expect.”

“Sounds like we’re going to need all the help we can get.” Carmilla’s mind wandered to the Valkyrie, suspended in time somewhere unknown.

“ _We_? Has my baby sister finally grown up to understand that she needs to join the war effort? Where’s the run-first ask questions a hundred years later attitude?”

“Hey, if you don’t need me...” Carmilla teased airily.

“Alright kitty cat, what do you propose?”

“If we want to get in front of this, I’m going to need to find a hero.” The vampire gritted her teeth and a flurry of swirling black smoke took her place in Mattie’s loft.

* * *

 

As soon as Carmilla arrived, the painful racket that accompanied Mr. Hollis’s alarm systems went off again, and though she was wincing at the noise, she had to admit that it was very effective.

“It’s okay dad! It’s just Carmilla!” The commotion ended abruptly and Laura’s voice rang out through the silence. _Just Carmilla_ , the vampire mused.  _Just the hundreds of years old vampire who’s done more damage than you could possibly imagine. When did I stop being terrifying and start being ‘just Carmilla’?_

The young journalist came running at the vampire and wrapped her in a hug before looking around.

“Wait, where’s Danny?” Carmilla could practically smell concern seeping out of Laura’s entire being.

“She’s... resting? She’ll be fine if we can find a hero.” Laura’s eyes widened and she dragged the vampire inside for an explanation.

* * *

 

“Wow...” LaF muttered when Carmilla finished telling the story.

“I don’t think she wanted you all to know, but I’m going to need as much help as I can get to find someone that can break her out of that ring of fire.”

After an intense shouting match between Laura and her father, everyone (including Mr. Hollis) was packed into a car and shuttled back to Silas for the great hero search of 2014.

When they pulled onto the main campus road, LaF pointed out a plume of smoke coming from behind the library.

“So... Do we actually know where this ring of fire is? Because if not, I’ve got a pretty good guess.”

After confirming that there was indeed a circle of flames burning up the lawn behind the library, and after Mr. Hollis tried to haul Laura back to the safety of their home, the gang set out to put up posters around campus with Laura’s dad reluctantly tagging along for their safety.

“Do you think people are actually going to respond to an open casting call for,” LaF cleared their throat. “A true hero - must be the epitome of heroic, Zetas need not apply?”

“That last part was a touch of genius.” Carmilla acknowledged. “Those bros will be lined up for miles just to prove us wrong, which is good because we need more selection considering none of the sorority girls will be applying to save their sister.” Laura nodded in agreement and set up her camera at the table they’d lugged to the sports field.

“Greetings Silas, and welcome to the first ever Silas Hero Search! We have plenty of strong applicants and truly look forward to seeing what the day may hold!” Perry gave Laura a funny look.

“Is now the best time for vlogging?” She asked delicately.

“You’re talking to the girl who made me play puppet theater when I told her about my sordid past. I don’t think she understands the concept of ‘bad time’.” Mr. Hollis mumbled something about Laura’s danger-seeking tendencies and the godforsaken institution that was Silas University before she tuned him out and pulled out the master signup sheet.

“Alright, let’s see who’s up first.” Laura shook her head and winced. “Of course.” She looked across the grass and called out a name. “Wilson Kirsch? You can come on the field now.” Laura gestured for him to walk over and he bounded up to the table with a big grin.

“So this is where I sign up to be D-Bear’s hero right?” He smiled widely and Carmilla scowled.

“This is where you  _try_.” She muttered brusquely as an upbeat 80′s song began pounding out of a pair of portable speakers. Carmilla narrowed her eyes at Laura and the younger girl shrugged.

“I just thought some Bonnie Taylor would lighten the mood! Besides, everyone loves a good audition montage.”

They spent a good three hours listening to frat boys and the occasional alchemy nerd explain why they’d be a good pick and watching some truly awful displays of heroism that included running around the field doing handstands and attempting parkour. After the last person had left, Laura turned off her loop of  _Holding Out for a Hero_  in defeat and slumped onto the table with an audible groan.

“Well let’s go back to the dorms and we can pick this up tomorrow.” Perry suggested when they’d packed up their things. Carmilla decided that she’d had enough and she slammed a fist into the table, snapping it in half with a horrible grinding sound.

“Screw this ill-conceived attempt to find a ‘true hero’ among a bunch of school children. True heroes don’t exist! I’m immortal, and I can teleport. I’m going to go fetch the Amazon, true hero be damned.” Carmilla began stalking off toward the library and the gang ran after her.

“Um, not to be a downer or anything, but do you think you’ll be able to get her back by cheating?” LaF asked. “I mean, Odin’s a  _god_. You’d think he’d have this whole cursing thing figured out by now, and at the very least, it seems like you’re bending some rules.”

“Fred and George got to the goblet of fire and the worst thing that happened to them was just a little extra facial hair!” Laura piped up. “Besides, Carmilla  _is_  a hero. She saved us all!”

“Again, I hate to bring this up, but the anglerfish is still there, so did she really  _completely_ save us, or just prolong our insignificant lives before our inevitable deaths? Also, isn’t one way to kill a vampire combustion? Do we  _really_ think that sending Carmilla into a ring of fire is a great idea?” LaF really didn’t feel good that they were becoming the voice of reason in this madness. Usually it was someone else’s responsibility.

“Alright, let me put that myth to rest. Depending on the vampire’s age, you can kill one with a stake to the heart or by beheading. Burning is for after you’ve done that, to make sure you’ve done the job by destroying the body. Besides, I’m not walking through the fire; I’m skipping ahead a little bit. None of that matters anyways, we need her.”

“Maybe we should wait in the dorm then...” Perry suggested. “If you manage to get her out, we’ll have medical supplies and fresh cookies waiting.” The floor don sensed Carmilla’s irritated determination and herded the group away. As she left, Laura gave the vampire one last look. A familiar look that Carmilla finally understood completely. Laura needed her to succeed so that Danny would be safe, but also because she needed her to stay a hero. For the first time, this pressure didn’t faze Carmilla.  _I need me to succeed too cupcake_ , she thought as she approached the ring of fire.

“Well here’s to what has been a  _spectacular_ year. Hopefully it’s not my last.” Carmilla closed her eyes and felt herself dissolving on one side of the wall of flames and reforming on the other.

Her heart soared when she realized that she had done it. For all her outward certainty, she had honestly been expecting to burst into flames and get carted Folkvanger to pull Freyja’s chariot for eternity.

She ignored the searing heat that washed over her in waves as the blaze flickered and leapt across the circle to Danny’s bedside, immediately taking the Valkyrie into her arms. Carmilla felt a pang of guilt at the pained expression on her slumbering face and clenched her jaw.

“Hold on Red. We’re getting out of here.”

* * *

 

Danny!” Laura cried out when the materialized in the dorm room. Carmilla laid the Valkyrie gently down on her bed and pushed everyone else onto Laura’s to give her some space. They looked on in concern when she remained motionless.

Perry clutched the tray of hot chocolate and cookies she had prepared more tightly. LaF’s mind began to whirl as they brainstormed last ditch resuscitation efforts. Laura anxiously fiddled with her hands, trying not to let warm tears spill from her eyes. But Carmilla let out a sigh of relief at the sound of Danny’s now-familiar heartbeat pounding faintly in her chest. The redhead blinked a few times in rapid succession and slowly sat up against the wall as LaF hurried over to inspect her for injuries.

“Well you definitely aren’t in my debt anymore.” Danny grinned at Carmilla and the vampire felt a reluctant smile creep onto her face.

“Don’t let it go to your head Xena. We’ve still got a war to fight, and we need you to win it.”


End file.
